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R Kelly denied bail following latest sexual abuse charges

By | Published on Wednesday 17 July 2019

R Kelly

A federal judge in the US yesterday turned down R Kelly’s request for bail. The musician has been in jail since last week when he was arrested over new charges relating to allegations of sexual abuse, including against minors. The criminal charges against Kelly have been mounting up ever since the airing of a documentary that put the spotlight back on the numerous allegations of sexual abuse that have been made against the star over the years.

Kelly continues to deny all the allegations of abuse and yesterday formally pleaded not guilty to the latest charges. Prosecutors urged the court to deny Kelly bail on the basis he was both dangerous and a flight risk. His lawyers denied that their client was a danger, stressing that the alleged crimes all took place more than a decade ago. But the judge hearing the case nevertheless ruled that Kelly should remain in jail for the time being.

Elsewhere, the New York Times has reported that the woman at the heart of an earlier criminal case against Kelly is now cooperating with prosecutors. She was the alleged victim in the only previous criminal case that was pursued against Kelly. She refused to testify when that case reached court in 2008 and the musician was acquitted.

Earlier this week celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti claimed that Kelly paid $2 million to the victim in that trial in order to ensure that neither she nor her family spoke about the case. The lawyer stated that “R Kelly bought his acquittal”.

The women was a minor at the time of the alleged incident and is now in her 30s. To what extent she is cooperating with prosecutors this time in relation to the new charges against Kelly is not yet clear.



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